FileMaker releases FileMaker Pro 11

FileMaker, Inc. today announced the immediate availability of FileMaker Pro 11. Packed with new and innovative features led by charting, “on the fly” reporting, a new Quick Find capability, and a host of productivity tools for easier database creation, FileMaker Pro 11 makes using databases easier and quicker than ever.

For advanced FileMaker users and developers, FileMaker Pro 11 delivers many new features for creating professional solutions in record time.

Also available today with new features is the entire FileMaker 11 product line, which includes FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced, FileMaker Server 11 and FileMaker Server 11.

“FileMaker Pro 11 is designed for solving real-world business problems, such as the need for interpreting business data,” said Ryan Rosenberg, vice president, marketing and services, FileMaker, Inc., in the press release. “With easy-to-use integrated charting, we bring dynamic visual reporting to FileMaker Pro 11 users. We also provide new tools to boost all users’ productivity, helping novice and expert users alike build, share and publish better databases.”

FileMaker Charts and reports

FileMaker Pro 11 offers a selection of dynamic professional-quality charts (pie, bar, area, and line), empowering users to visualize, evaluate and report on data within a new or existing layout. For example, users can add a pie chart tab within a FileMaker Pro layout to see their sales depicted graphically any way they chose – weekly, monthly, regionally and more. FileMaker Charts can also be published to the web using FileMaker Pro Instant Web Publishing. FileMaker Pro 11 users can now easily create “on the fly” Quick Reports in a familiar spreadsheet-like format to easily set up subtotals and totals similar to pivot tables in spreadsheets. A new streamlined Layout/Report Assistant guides users through the process of setting up reports with grouped data.

Easier ways to build and use databases

FileMaker Pro 11 provides a variety of new tools to help boost productivity and enable users to build and use databases more easily. New FileMaker Pro 11 productivity features include:

• Innovative Quick Find with iTunes style that searches across all fields within a layout
• Inspector, a master tool palette that controls layout objects and properties in one convenient place
• Object Badges to visually identify scripted fields in layouts with color-coded icons
• A new Invoices Starter Solution, one of more than 30 built-in solutions, designed to track product and customer details and create, manage and print customized invoices for every order
• An improved Quick Start Screen to help users create new databases, manage favorite files and find helpful resources
• Text highlighting to emphasize key words or numbers in fields

FileMaker Pro 11 also delivers innovative new ways to collaborate with its unique Snapshot Link that flags a specific set of records at a point in time, preserving the same layout, view and sort order. Any changes made to the file are automatically updated in the database. The Snapshot Link file can be emailed to anyone who has FileMaker Pro 11 for easy collaboration. FileMaker Pro 11also introduces Recurring Import, a new feature that allows users to establish an automatic import from Excel, CSV or TAB, the perfect solution for insuring that data is always accurate within a FileMaker record.

FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced delivers greater customization and more

The new FileMaker Pro 11 Advanced, which offers all of the features of FileMaker Pro 11 plus a suite of advanced development and customization tools, provides a new streamlined, intuitive interface for creating customized menus; the ability to copy, paste and import custom functions into databases without having to re-key information; and an Improved Script Debugger that lets users debug scripts attached to buttons and Custom Menus along with all the scripts on a layout.

New in FileMaker Server 11 is an Enhanced Statistics View that provides detailed visibility into FileMaker Pro clients to help diagnose potential issues. The new Backup File Clone allows administrators to save an empty version of any database to help preserve the schema and architecture of a file while troubleshooting.

FileMaker Server 11 Advanced no longer limits the number of users that can simultaneously access files over the network and allows managers to securely assign access privileges to groups of users.

FileMaker Inc. is the leader in easy-to-use database software. Millions of people, from individuals to some of the world’s largest companies, rely on FileMaker software to manage, analyze and share essential information. The company’s products are the FileMaker Pro line –- versatile database software for teams and organizations, for Windows, Mac and the Web –- and Bento, the personal database for Mac, iPhone and iPod touch. FileMaker, Inc. is a subsidiary of Apple.

I’ve been a filemaker developer for about 15 years. In all reality Filemaker should be on about version 7. New versions popping out with little or new feature sets is annoying and expensive to all those who use the product. Only enough relevant new features and to tease you into buying the next release. Usually “new features” only represent cosmetic changes.

Why not release a version with real updates and upgrades that signify a new version of your product. Filemaker, while a good database/development tool still lacks many features developers have been begging for may years.

Unfortunately once your hooked your options are limited and they know it.

I own many versions as a developer but in my own buisiness I still run 5.5 server an multiple copies of 6.

Where is the iPhone Filemaker app and they bloody well better have an ipad version soon because that a HUGE market. Bet you 4d are working on an iPad app.

Oh and the other thing that they have needed to do for at least the last 10 years is have a Linux server version because 75% of the worlds servers and the mist economic run some form of Linux like red hat.